Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-15
THE WISDOM OF PREPARATION.

When the cholera ship Alesia arrived in
the lower bay of New York harbor, the
RECoRD-UNIoN declared its belief that
the cargo and baggage on the ship and the
clothing of the passengers and the ship
itself ought to be burned. In our issue of
yesterday the Secretary of the State Board
of Health expressed the same opinion,
and declared that quarantine and fumiga-
ton are not enough. BY the dispatches it
appears that the Board of Health of New
York is of the same opinion. It turns out
that the quarantine of the ship has been
farcical and grossly violated, and that
communication between the ship. the
quarantine shore and the city has been
frequent, and never wholly interrupted
After but ten days detention, and the
fumigation of their clothing, the passen-
gers have been permitted to land and scat.
ter through the country, and now the ship
is at dock in New York city, loading for a
return voyage.
We venture. the assertion that never be.
fore in the history of sanitary regulation
has there been such reckless defiance Of
ordinary quarantine rules. The Health
Inspectors of New York have been
guilty of the grossest negligence and most
amazing stupidity. That the people and
officials of New York should have sub.
mitted to this exposure is amazing. The
reasons of the REcoRD-UNIoS for an
nouncing its disbelief in the effectiveness
of quarantine are based upon the positive
evidence of its failure as against cholera
in nearly all the Mediterranean ports,
notably those of Italy, France and Spain
it is grounded upon the experiments OF
Brazil, Buenos Ayres, Chile, and other
countries. All the testimony goes to show
that, as against cholera, closing port Is
the only correct procedure to insure its
exclusion.
The cholera germs have not been killed
on the Alesia; they have not been ex.
terminated in the baggage of her passen.
gers by the brief fumigation they are
dormant in the cargo of that ship; they
are active upon Swinburne island. and the
ground where the fourteen victims are
buried reeks with them, and next
spring, if not earlier, they will by
natural processes be scattered over
the country. By the criminal negligence
Of the New York Health Inspectors the
dread disease has been admitted TO the
country, and the chances of escaping its
ravages are seven against US to three. II
is unwise and cruel to create unnecessary
alarm it is more so to fail to warn the
people in time to adopt those sanitary pre-
cautions that tend to minimize the effects
OF the disease, and the first of these is the
most scrupulous cleanliness in houses and
cities and all the streets, alleys, sewers,
drains and filth deposits, and rigorous
house-to-house inspection by health officers
and the enforcement of sanitary regula-
lions. No man has rightly neglect, or
stubborn refusal, or the claim of the sacred,
ness of his castle-to imperil the family Of
his neighbor. This is case in which the
right of society to protection rises superior
to all personal rights. Ii is not too early
now to begin the cleansing and disinfecting
process, since in every considerable COM
munity group it will require the whole
time between this date and the opening of
spring to accomplish the needed work. As
the San Francisco Erdmtner puts it; aft
this country escapes cholera epidemic,
numbering its victims by hundreds of
thousands, it will not be the fault of the
New York health authorities. We have
every reason to expect the epidemic, and
the least We can do is to be prepared
for it,